Python Vector Class

class, maya, object, python, vector

Solution

Edit: I've modified the code with my answer a bit more from @unutbu's original to simplify it and make what is being done clearer. In the latest version, the `@staticmethod`'s have been eliminated altogether and replaced with nested one-liners. The outer function and nested class have been renamed `AutoFloatProperties` and `_AutoFloatProperties` to reflect their specialized behavior of converting and storing the values assigned as floats. Despite all this, @unutbu's own revised answer using a class decorator instead of a metaclass is a slightly simpler solution, although the internals and usage are very similar.

def AutoFloatProperties(*props):
    '''metaclass'''
    class _AutoFloatProperties(type):
        # Inspired by autoprop (http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.2.3/descrintro/#metaclass_examples)
        def __init__(cls, name, bases, cdict):
            super(_AutoFloatProperties, cls).__init__(name, bases, cdict)
            for attr in props:
                def fget(self, _attr='_'+attr): return getattr(self, _attr)
                def fset(self, value, _attr='_'+attr): setattr(self, _attr, float(value))
                setattr(cls, attr, property(fget, fset))
    return _AutoFloatProperties

class Vector(object):
    '''Creates a Maya vector/triple, having x, y and z coordinates as float values'''
    __metaclass__ = AutoFloatProperties('x','y','z')
    def __init__(self, x=0, y=0, z=0):
        self.x, self.y, self.z = x, y, z # values converted to float via properties

if __name__=='__main__':
    v=Vector(1,2,3)
    print(v.x)
    # 1.0
    v.x=4
    print(v.x)
    # 4.0

Problem

I'm coming from a C# background where this stuff is super easy—trying to translate into Python for Maya. There's gotta' be a better way to do this. Basically, I'm looking to create a Vector class that will simply have x, y and z coordinates, but it would be ideal if this class returned a tuple with all 3 coordinates and if you could edit the values of this tuple through x, y and z properties, somehow. This is what I have so far, but there must be a better way to do this than using an exec statement, right? I hate using exec statements. ``` class Vector(object): '''Creates a Maya vector/triple, having x, y and z coordinates as float values''' def __init__(self, x=0, y=0, z=0): self.x, self.y, self.z = x, y, z def attrsetter(attr): def set_float(self, value): setattr(self, attr, float(value)) return set_float for xyz in 'xyz': exec("%s = property(fget=attrgetter('_%s'), fset=attrsetter('_%s'))" % (xyz, xyz, xyz)) ```

Original source